Philadelphia, PA – If you’ve ever been to IKEA before, you know that place is one giant maze. In fact, the Swedish manufacturer and retailer of furniture, appliances, and home accessories actually designs their warehouse-like stores to get you lost in them. The reason being: so you get lost in them and end up buying more of IKEA’s products. The company distracts people from this by offering somewhat cheaper products and delicious food at their food court. Most people find their way out of the maze sooner or later, but for Tim Williams, it was much later.
Williams was a copywriter in the cheese stake capital of the world, until he disappeared ten years ago. His wife reported him missing after 24 hours and an investigation went on for almost a year before it was closed and left unsolved. Charlene, Tim’s wife, eventually moved on and married a new man and started a family with him.
Williams finally made his way out of the IKEA last night. He found his way to a pay phone and called his wife. He was surprised when a man picked up. He thought that his wife had moved, but Charlene quickly picked up as well thinking her new husband did not.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Charlene told us. “I mean, I moved on, but I knew I never really would stop thinking about him. When I picked up the phone, I heard his voice and just collapsed.”
Charlene got in her car and rushed to the pay phone to find her long-lost love. “He had long hair, a long beard, his outfit was all disheveled,” Charlene recalled. “He even had the items he went to get me ten years ago. I just couldn’t believe it was really him.”
When Williams was asked why he didn’t just ask a store associate for help, he stated, “None of them knew. They all could tell me about couches or lamps or what not, but even they didn’t really know their way around the place.” Williams survived by eating Swedish meatballs and drinking from the soda fountains at the food court. He said he would’ve loved to bathe or shave at any given time, but none of the products were actually hooked up to anything.”
Williams has been reunited with other family members and friends of his and will be making appearances on many different talk shows over the next few months. He also will be writing an autobiography called: Aren’t We All Just Rats, Lost in the Maze That is IKEA. What we know right now is just the tip of the iceberg.
